Harness-buckle.



s. E. GROWL.

' HARNESS BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1911.

1,044,503, Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

arnnr @FFlQE SAMUEL E. CROWL, 6F STUART, IOWA.

HARNESS-BUCKLE.

Application filed November 1, 1911.

1 all whom it may concern Be it known that l, SAMUEL E. CnowL, a citizenof the United States, residing at Stuart, in the county of Guthrie andState of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Harness-Buckle, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a harness buckle of simple, andinexpensive construction which is practically free from wear to which atug can be easily, quickly and firmly secured and from which a tug canbe easily released.

A further object is to provide a harness buckle to which tug can besecured whereby the friction and wear on the tug is spread over aconsiderable area.

More particularly it is my object to provide a harness buckle havingparallel plates between which a tug is gripped and having its parts soconstructed and arranged that any pull on the tug increases the frictionbetween the plates and the tug and thereby in creases the tightness ofthe grip of the buckle on the tug.

A further object is to provide means for exerting yielding pressure tohold said plates in engagement with a tug.

My invention consists in certain details, in the construction,arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1. shows a side elevation of a part of a set of harness equippedwith my improved harness buckle and catch device. Fig. 2 shows acentral, horizontal sectional view of my improved harness buckle, thedotted lines showing the buckle in its open position. Fig. 3 shows aside elevation of my buckle, the outer plate being removed. Fig. a showsa detail view partly in section of one end of my buckle showing thespring thereon for holding the plates together. Fig. 5 shows a centralvertical, transverse, sectional View of my improved catch device forsecuring my buckle to a belly band or other strap .ln the accompanyingdrawings, 1 have used the reference numeral to indicate the collar of aset of harness on which is mounted a hame 11. Secured to the hame is ashort harne tug 12.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1912. Serial No. 658,070.

My improved harness buckle proper, consists of two metal plates 14 and15 which 1 shall call the inner and outer plates respectively and whichare arranged in parallel planes. Cent-rally located on the inner surfaceof the outer plate 15 is an inwardly extending lug 16. The plate 1 1 isconstructed with a longitudinal slot 17 in which the lug 16 is receivedin certain positions of the movement of the plates 14- and 15.

One end of the inner plate 1 1 is designed to be secured to the hame tug12 or to the hame pieces and I shall call the end of the buckle designedto be adjacent to the hame, its forward end. 1 preferably bend theplates 1 1 and 1-3 at their rear ends to form vertical bearings 18 whichin each case are located on the side of the respective plates farthestremoved from the other plate. At the forward end of the plate 15 is abearing 19 similar to the bearing 18 at the rearward end of said plate.At the forward end of the plate 141- is preferably formed an eX tension20 which may be secured to the hame tug 12 in any suitable way. Aboveand below the point where the extension 20 begins, the plate 14 is bentto form bearings 21 which stand on the inner side of the plate.iotatably mounted in the bearings 18, 19 and 21 are bolts 22. Rotatablymounted on the bolts 22 above and below the plates 1 1 and 15 at eachend thereof, are short cross pieces 23. It will be seen that the plates1st and 15 may be moved longitudinally with the relation to each otherwithin certain limits on account of the way in which the bolts 22 andthe cross pieces 23 are mounted. For convenience of description, I willcall the position of the plates 14 and 15 when they are at the farthestlimit of their movement, from each other, the open position of thebuckle, and the position when the plates are adjacent to each other, theclosed position of the buckle.

In Fig. 2 1 have shown a tug 2 1 secured to the buckle with the lug 1.6received in one of the openings 25 in said tug. It will be seen that anyrearward pull on the tug when the plate 14: is secured to a home or ahame tug, will tend to draw the plate 15 rearwardly and to move thebuckle from its open to its closed position. The greater the draft onthe tug, the more tightly the plates 14 and 15 are drawn together andthe said plates will grip the tug and their friction on the tug will bespread over a considerable area thereof.

is long as there is any draft on the tug, the buckle will necessarilygrip the tug tightly. When, however, the tug is loose,

it might be possible for the buckle to move to its open position untilthe lug 16 might be released from the opening 25 in the tug and the tugreleased from the buckle. For preventing the release of the tug from thebuckle during any ordinary use of the buckle, 'I have provided thefollowing means: Rotatably mounted on the bolts 22 at one end of thebuckle, I have provided a cross piece 26 similar to the cross piece 23except that the cross piece 26 is preferably somewhat smaller andthinner than the cross piece Mounted on one of the bolts 22 in the plate1a, between the cross piece 26 and the adjacent cross piece 23 on thesame bolt, I have placed an expansible coil spring 27. One end of saidspring is in engagement with the inner surface of the plate It and theother end is in engagement with the cross piece 23 at a pointspacedapart from the bolt 22 as clearly shown in Fig. a. The tendency of thecoil spring 27 is to move the plate 15 longitudinally with the relationto the plate 14 and to exert constant yielding pressure to move thebuckle from its open to its closed position. By locating the spring 27between the cross pieces 23 and 26, the spring will movewith said crosspieces during the movement of the spring from its open to its closedposition or vice versa and the friction between the cross pieces and thespring is reduced to a minimum. The coil spring 27 will prevent theaccidental release of the tug from the buckle on account of the effectof its yielding pressure heretofore described. Nhen, however, the userdesires to release the tug, he can manually move the buckle to its openposition and take out the tug. On the upper side of the plate 14, I havelocated a loop 28 to which the back band may be secured.

For quickly, easily and readily fastening the buckle to the belly band,I have provided the following means: A receptacle 29 open at one end isprovided with a plurality of openings 30 on one side. At its closed end,the receptacle 29 is provided with an extension 31 designed to besecured to a strap in any suitable way. On the lower side of the plate14, I provide a loop 32 which may be similar to the loop 28. Pivotallymounted on the loop 32 is a body 33. Pivotally mounted on the body 33 isa dog or catch member 34. I have secured to the body 33, a spring 35designed to exert yielding pressure to hold the free end of the dog 3%in its position spaced apart from the body 33. The body 33 and the dog31 are designed to be received in the receptacle 29 as clearly shown inWhen they are inserted in said receptacle the dog 3-1 and the spring 35are pressed against the body until the dog 34 reaches a point oppositeone of the openings 30, when the spring 35 pushes the dog away from thebody 33 into the opening 30 and causes the dog to firmly engage thereceptacle. To release my catch device just described, the user may pushthe dog 3 1 inwardly and the body 33 may then be withdrawn from thereceptacle 29.

It will be seen that a considerable number of variations in theconstruction of my device from the forms shown herein, can be madewithout departing from the principle of my invention as defined by theappended claim.

In the practical construction and use of my improved harness buckle, itmay be used with any ordinary kind of harness. The extension 20 on theplate 14: may be secured directly to the hame or to a short hame tug 12,thus the buckle may be used near the hame or in a convenient place forfastening the back band and belly band. It will also be seen that mycatch device hereinbefore described, could be used for securing thebuckle to the back band. The location and construction of the spring 27may be varied without changing the principle of its operation, thepurpose of said spring being to draw the plates 14 and 15 together. Whenmy improved harness buckle has been secured to a hame or a short hametug, it may be manually moved to its open position as Fig. 5.

shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and the.

tug may be moved between the plates 14 and 15 until the lug 16 isopposite one of the openings 25. The plates 14 and 15 may then bereleased and the pressure of the spring 27 will cause the lug 16 toenter adjacent opening 25 and will draw the buckle to its closedposition. The operation of the spring 27 will prevent any accidentalrelease of the tug. When it is desired to release the tug or to insertthe lug 16 in another opening in said tug, the buckle may be manuallymoved to its open position and the desired operation is then easilyperformed.

I claim as my invention:

In a device of the class described, inner and outer substantiallyparallel metal plates, bearings formed at the ends of said plates, boltsin said bearings, cross pieces rotatably mounted on said bolts above andbelow each end of said plates, means for connecting said inner platewith a hame or a hame tug, a longitudinal slot in said inner plate andan inwardly extending lug on said outer plate designed to be received insaid slot in certain positions of the movement of said buckle, anadditional cross piece rotatably mounted on two of said bolts and spacedapart from the other cross piece thereon, an expansible coil springmounted on the one the of said last named bolts which is in the innerplate between said last named cross pieces, said spring having one endin engagement with the inner side of said inner plate and the other endin engagement with the adjacent side of one of said last named crosspieces at a point spaced apart from said inner plate, said spring beingdesigned to exert yielding pressure to move said plates longitudinallyWith relation to each 10 other.

Des Moines, Iowa, October 18, 1911.

SAMUEL E. CROWL. Witnesses:

PAUL M. PAYNE, W. P. BAIN.

Geuies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

